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In this day and age, football players get sold for exorbitant sums in each transfer window and the trend only seems to be on the rise. Neymar's world-record transfer to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 sent shockwaves across the planet, as he left Barcelona for a fee believed to be in the region of £222 million.
The Brazilian's move to the French capital set the tone for what was to come, as several clubs across the continent began to flex their financial muscle. However, over the years, a handful of managers have also been incredibly sought-after and have been involved in big-money transactions.
Julian Nagelsmann's much-anticipated move to Bayern Munich has been the talk of the town, with the Bavarian giants paying a mammoth sum to secure his services from fellow Bundesliga side RB Leipzig.
However, is that the most expensive fee paid for a manager in the history of the game? Let's find out.
#5 Jose Mourinho | Inter Milan to Real Madrid - €8 million
2010 turned out to be the finest year of Jose Mourinho's illustrious career, as he completed the treble with Inter Milan after an outstanding season with the Serie A giants. The Special One, however, made the difficult decision to leave the Nerazzurri at the end of the 2009-10 season, as Real Madrid came calling for him.
Los Blancos needed a world-class manager to take charge of their star-studded squad that boasted the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema and others, so they wasted no time in getting Mourinho on board.
The Portuguese great moved to the Santiago Bernabeu for €8 million and went on to have an eventful spell in the Spanish capital.
#4 Ruben Amorim | Braga to Sporting Lisbon - €10 million
Ruben Amorim was an unknown name in Liga Nos during his time with Braga, but he made such a massive impression with the club that he quickly became one of the most sought-after managers in the country. Having initially joined Braga's reserve team in the third tier, Amorim was given the first-team job after Ricardo Sa Pinto was sacked in December 2019.
What followed next was an extraordinary turn of events, as Braga become one of the best teams in the Portuguese top-flight under their young manager. Amorim made impressed so much that Sporting Lisbon parted with a staggering €10 million to snap him up in March 2020.
Their faith in the 36-year-old seems to be paying dividends, as Sporting are well-positioned to win their first league title in nearly two decades.
Also Read: 5 most valuable U-21 players in the world
#3 Brendan Rodgers | Celtic to Leicester City - €10.5 million
After his Liverpool sacking, Brendan Rodgers took over the reins at Celtic and made the Scottish giants a force to be reckoned with, as he spearheaded them to three successive trebles. However, midway through the 2018-19 season, he was presented with a glorious opportunity to return to the Premier League.
Leicester City were on the lookout for a manager and were willing to part with €10.5 million to snap up Rodgers from Celtic. The deal eventually went through and Rodgers quickly proved his worth at the King Power Stadium.
The Foxes are set to qualify for the UEFA Champions League ahead of the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal this season, indicating that the Irishman has done a glorious job at the club so far.
#2 Andre Villas-Boas | FC Porto to Chelsea - €15 million
When Chelsea snapped up Andre Villas-Boas for a then-world record fee of €15 million, parallels were drawn with the previous manager they hired from Porto - a certain Jose Mourinho. However, his stint at Chelsea proved to be a calamitous one, as he fell out with several senior players in his first few months at the club.
AVB failed to get his ideas across to his players and was sacked midway through his first season, as Roberto Di Matteo was appointed on an interim basis. The rest, as they say, is history, as Chelsea won the UEFA Champions League that season for the first time.
For Villas-Boas, though, his first spell in England ended on a disastrous note. He took over at Tottenham Hotspur a few years later but ultimately failed to prove his worth yet again.
#1 Julian Nagelsmann | RB Leipzig to Bayern Munich - €25 million
There has always been an air of inevitability around Julian Nagelsmann taking over the reins at Bayern Munich ever since he made his name at Hoffenheim.
The wonderkid manager is one of the greatest tacticians of the current generation and finally completed his much-anticipated switch to the Allianz Arena earlier this month, as he agreed a deal to join the club for the 2021-22 season.
Bayern Munich didn't hesitate to part with a whopping €25 million fee to secure his services, making it the world-record fee for a manager by a considerable distance. However, Nagelsmann could work wonders with the current Bayern Munich squad and has always been held in high-regard in footballing circles, indicating that the Bavarian giants are not taking much of the risk despite the fee involved.
Also Read: 5 players who have been linked with summer moves to Manchester United
